Have you ever thought of the consumer age and when it began? I have lived all my life in the consumer age. So, what really is the consumer age and how do you define it? It began when most families could afford to buy things other than necessities. Radio to some extent, but mostly television is what gave the consumer age a kick start. Advertisement and selling on the air quickly did away with the door to door sells people.
When I was a young boy, I can remember sells people coming to the house. Vacuum sweeper salesmen seemed to be everywhere. They would come in your house and dump a pile of dirt in the middle of your living room floor and then demonstrate their state of the art cleaner that was way better than their competitor's units. One story I heard back then was one of those guys came to the old farm house where a widow lady lived and started off by dumping that pile of dirt in the middle of her rug and stating that he would eat it if his unit couldn't clean it all up. She just asked him if he would like mayo or ketchup with it, since they didn't have electricity at the farm!!
I do believe that it especially was the advent of the TV that spurred consumerism. The potential customers could actually see, in their own homes, the stuff being used in an environment that resembled their own homes. What do you think? Do you know that there was a commercial TV station broadcasting in the U.S. in 1941? Heck, I wasn't born until 1943. OK, let's all go to the store and buy something and I sure hope you have a great day, you hear?
The consumer age... you're older than I am so I'm in no place to comment on that but I will say that Amazon & computers have made 'this' age different from when I grew up!
ReplyDeleteI have a kid in her mid to late 20's and since she was born she has had movies when ever she wanted, that was a byproduct of the "Consumer Age" as we were the one's who bought the VCR & tapes.
I don't know what I ever did before I got my first computer. That was way back years ago and it was 286, then I updated to 386, and then I updated many, many more times. I started using AutoCAD back when I got the 286 and have used and updated it ever since.
DeleteComputers changed my buying totally. In fact, I just now ordered 3 things for Xmas gifts for my 3 I buy for. No shipping, will be at my front door in a few days. Yeah, done this since my first 286 too. That was 1996.
ReplyDeleteI just don't think I am going to buy any gifts. Would rather take a trip.
DeleteMy Mom bought a set of World Book Encyclopedias from a door-to-door salesman in either the late 40's or early 50's. My siblings and I devoured them! We were all readers and one thing would lead to another... we'd get an annual "update" supplement in the mail each year. Now every bit of that information and tons more is available at your fingertips in practically an instant.
ReplyDeleteYup, back in the 50's every home had a set of encyclopedias. I spend many many hours in them knowledge books.
DeleteYep, I even bought a set just after my first son was born. I don't remember what I did with them. That was a long time ago.
DeleteI was in some sort of waiting room ... probably getting Homer serviced. Someone wondered about something. A lot of us just googled on our phones .. and gave answers ... the person was flabbergasted.... HAHaaa
ReplyDeleteThe ones of us who googled ... giggled... I think they're fun and don't know how in the world I ever got along without my iPhone.
When out and about and someone mentions a have to see TV something or other... I tell my home TV to record the program from my phone.
still amazes me.... well? TV amazes me period... how in the WORLD do we get pictures instantly from around the world.
Do you know how absolutely amazing that is? I was talking via Facebook with a pal in Australia and another in the UK ...
I'm tellin you! amazing... ;0
I don't have a fancy do everything phone. Just an old flip open phone that I have had for many, many years. I figure my tablets and computers will take care of everything else, the phone is for talking only. I guess part of me is old fashioned. . .
DeleteA few years back I got a better phone so I could text with my kids, turned out I could do a lot with that phone.
DeleteToday I have a computer in my pocket that I can make phone calls with.
With the computer (phone) in my pocket & Amazon we are living in the Golden Age.
I guess not just part of me is old fashioned buy most of me. I don't have a phone that will let me do anything but talk and I keep it turned off almost all the time (it is a portable pay phone for me, remember pay phones?). I don't have a TV and don't do any social media. I know, I know - there are some people that will claim I can not live the way I am living! HA
DeleteEver think it must have been nice to a citizen rather than a consumer?
ReplyDeleteI would rather be both a citizen and a consumer.
DeleteWhatever they did, they sure convinced millions of people that they needed an excessive amount of stuff, and now they have to convince us to buy "a new one" every year because of advances in speed and technology. I'm too old to deal with that crap so I will keep on with what I have as long as possible. That's why I still have an analog TV! (Not that I have it hooked up or anything.)
ReplyDeleteI, also, own only the old cathode ray tube sets. One big one, one middle size, and a small one, and oh yes, there are two old style TVs in the RV. I have been thinking about getting a new one so I can see what is going on outside my viewing area on both sides of the screen.
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